Novelty smoker{3 s pipe

ABSTRACT

A novelty smoker&#39;&#39;s pipe in the form of a fanciful animal characterized by a substantially spherical body member comprising the torso and head of the animal, a pipe bowl projecting from the head end of the body member and constituting the nose or snout of the animal, a compoundly curved tube extending outwardly of the opposite end of the body and constituting the tail of the animal, and hook members extending downwardly of the underside of the body member and constituting the legs of the animal. In a preferred form of the invention, the body member is comprised of a hollow coconut shell, longitudinally divided to provide two shell halves secured together at the bottom by a hinge to permit opening thereof for use as a receptacle. A length of flexible tubing within the coconut shell and communicating between the pipe bowl and the tubular tail provides for the drawing of smoke from lighted tobacco in the pipe bowl through the outer end of the tail-piece in smoking.

United States Patent [191 Wilson NOVELTY SMOKERS PIPE [76] Inventor:Mark L. Wilson, 18102 NE. 25th FL, Miami, Fla. 33160 22 Filed: Jan.30,1973 21 Appl. No.: 328,131

5/1952 Wilkinson 131/178 UX FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 191,5456/1957 Netherlands 131/186 [451 Sept. 10, 1974 Primary Examiner.losephS. Reich Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Ernest H. Schmidt [5 7] ABSTRACT Anovelty smokers pipe in the form of a fanciful animal characterized by asubstantially spherical body member comprising the torso and head of theanimal, a pipe bowl projecting from the head end of the body member andconstituting the nose or snout of the animal, a compoundly curved tubeextending outwardly of the opposite end of the body and constituting thetail of the animal, and hook members extending downwardly of theunderside of the body member and constituting the legs of the animal. Ina preferred form of the invention, the body member is comprised of ahollow coconut shell, longitudinally divided to provide two shell halvessecured together at the bottom by a hinge to permit opening thereof foruse as a receptacle. A length of flexible tubing within the coconutshell and communicating between the pipe bowl and the tubular tailprovides for the drawing of smoke from lighted tobacco in the pipe bowlthrough the outer end of the tail-piece in smoking.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures NOVELTY SMOKERS PIPE This invention relatesto smokers pipes and is directed particularly to a table pipe of thetype including a receptacle for the storage of pipe smokersparaphernalia and which has the general appearance and shapecharacterizing a fanciful animal having a compact body, four short legs,a long snout and a long tail.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a novelty smokerspipe of the above nature wherein the body of the pipe is representativeof the torso and head of the fanciful animal simulated, the pipe or bowlsimulating the snout, and wherein the tail-piece serves as themouthpiece for the smoker.

A more particular object of the invention is to provide a noveltysmokers pipe of the character above described wherein the pipe body iscomprised of a hollowed-out coconut shell, a pair of depressions at oneend which are so disposed as to represent the eyes of the fancifulanimal and a third depression which is disposed directly below andbetween the eye depressions to serve as the zone of through opening forpipe stem means communicating with the bowl, the bowl beingrepresentative of the nose or snout of thefanciful animal.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novelty smokers pipe asdescribed above wherein the coconut shell comprising the body of thefanciful animal is laterally divided along a substantially verticalplane to provide front and back coconut shell halves swingably heldtogether by a connecting hinge at the undersides thereof to permitrelative opening for the use of the interior of the shell as areceptacle.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novelty smokerspipe of the above nature including a flexible tube communicating betweenthe pipe bowl and tail-piece within the body to provide for drawingsmoke by the smoker at the mouthpiece directly from the pipe bowl.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a novelty smokers pipeof the character described including arcuate hook members simulatingfront and back legs attached to the undersides, respectively, of thefront and back shell halves.

Still another object is to provide a novelty smokers pipe of the abovenature which can be readily manufactured of inexpensive and readilyavailable parts, which will be simple in construction, durable in useand attractive in appearance.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the following description when read with reference to theaccompanying drawings. In the drawings, wherein like reference numeralsdenote corresponding parts throughout the several views: 1

FIG. I is a side elevational view of a novelty smokers pipe embodyingthe invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view as in FIG. 1-, with the body portionshown partially open and in vertical crosssection to illustrateconstructional details;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the body portion of the novelty pipe, portionsof the pipe bowl, stem and tail-piece being broken away; and

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the body portion, portions of the pipe bowl,stem and tail-piece being broken away.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, reference numeral l designates,generally, a novelty smokers pipe embodying the invention, the samecomprising a spherical body member 11, which is preferably constitutedby a hollowed-out coconut shell and which is sawed or otherwise dividedinto front and back shell halves 12 and 13 hinged together at theunderside of the shell by a hinge 14. As is best illustrated in FIGS. 2and 4, one leaf 15 of the hinge 14 is secured to the front shell half 12as by machine screws 16, and the other hinge leaf 17 is secured to theback shell half 13 as by machine screws 18.

The underside of the body member 11 is provided with support means whichsimulate legs of a fanciful animal. To this end, cast metal doubleclothes hook members 19 and 20 are secured, respectively, to the frontand back shell halves as by bolts 21, 22, respectively. Said legsimulating clothes hook members 19, 20 are affixed so that their endsface each other, as is best illustrated in FIG. 1.

Means is provided for releasably securing the front and back shellhalves 12 and 13 in mutually closed disposition. To this end, a key lock23 is provided, said lock comprising a keeper portion 24 affixed to thefront shell half 12 at the top thereof as by machine screws 26, and alatch portion 25 secured to the back shell half 13 for cooperativeengagement with said keeper portion as by machine screws 27.

As is best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the divided coconut shell body11 is so oriented in the manufacture of the novelty pipe that twodepressions 28, 29, in the front shell half 12 are substantially thesame level to simulate the eyes of the fanciful animal characterized bythe novelty pipe. As so disposed, the third, remaining depression 30 isutilized as a zone of weak wall section which can readily be drilled,for the press tit therein from the inside, of a pipe stem retainermember 31 having a reduced-diameter, outwardly extending stem-piece 32adapted to receive in press-fitted removable relation thereon a smokingpipe bowl 33 of ordinary construction. The inner end 34 of the pipestern retainer member 31 is of reduced diameter to receive, press fittedthereon, a length of flexible tubing 35, such as of clear vinyl plastic.

A rigid tail-piece 36, preferably of bent metal tubing, extends at oneend through a central opening at the rear of the back shell half 13,being secured thereat as by a metal fitting 37 comprising a threadedsleeve portion 38 extending through said opening from the inside andretained in place as by a nut member 39 at the outside. The fitting 37is of the type comprising an interior cinch ring within its centralopening 40 operative, upon securing the fitting in place, to fix thetail-piece 36 with respect to the back shell half 13 of the body 11. Asbest illustrated in FIG. 1, the tail-piece 36, as it extends outwardlyof the back shell half 13 is bent upwardly and outwardly in a compoundcurve simulating the tail of a fanciful animal, the body and head ofwhich is represented by the shell halves l2 and 13, the nose or snout ofwhich is represented by the pipe bowl 33, and the legs of which arerepresented by the hook members 19 and 20. The outer end of thetail-piece 36 is fitted with an annular mouthpiece 41.

In use, pipe tobacco will be placed in the pipe bowl 33 in the usualfashion and lit by drawing the smoke through the mouthpiece 41. When thenovelty pipe 10 is placed upon an ordinary table the mouthpiece 41 willbe disposed at a height convenient for use in smoking by a personsitting in a chair at the table, so that it will ordinarily not benecessary to lift the pipe while smokmg.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, unlatching of the lock 23 permits relativeswinging opening of the body shell halves l2 and 13 at the top withrespect to the pivotal connection at the bottom afforded by the hinge14. The flexible tubing 35 within the shell halves and communicatingbetween the pipe stern retainer member 31 and the tail-piece 36 is ofsuch length and flexibility as to permit wide opening of the shellhalves for free access to the interior of the pipe body 11. The pipebody 11 thus can serve as a receptacle for the storage, for example, ofpipe tobacco, matches, pipe cleaners, extra pipe bowls and the like pipesmokers paraphernalia.

While I have illustrated and described herein only one form'in which myinvention can conveniently be embodied in practice it is to beunderstood that this form is given by way of example only and not in alimiting sense. The invention, in brief, comprises all the embodimentsand modifications coming within the scope and spirit of the followingclaims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A smokers pipe comprising, in combination, a

substantially spherical, hollow body member, a pipe bowl memberremovably fixed to one end of said body member, a tubularsmoke-conducting member affixed at one end with respect to and extendingoutwardly of the other end of said body member, a flexible conduitwithin said body member and communicating between said pipe bowl memberand said tubular smoke conducting member to permit the drawing of smokefrom said pipe bowl member through the other end of said smokeconducting member, said hollow body member being substantiallyvertically divided into front and back shell half members, and means forpivotally connecting underside portions of said front and back shellmembers for relatively open swinging thereof for access to the interiorof said body member for use as a receptacle.

2. A smokers pipe as defined in claim 1, including lock means forreleasably securing said half shell members in relatively closeddisposition.

3. A smokers pipe as defined in claim 2, including support means affixedto the underside of said body member for standing said body member on aflat surface.

1. A smoker''s pipe comprising, in combination, a substantiallyspherical, hollow body member, a pipe bowl member removably fixed to oneend of said body member, a tubular smoke-conducting member affixed atone end with respect to and extending outwardly of the other end of saidbody member, a flexible conduit within said body member andcommunicating between said pipe bowl member and said tubular smokeconducting member to permit the drawing of smoke from said pipe bowlmember through the other end of said smoke conducting member, saidhollow body member being substantially vertically divided into front andback shell half members, and means for pivotally connecting undersideportions of said front and back shell members for relatively openswinging thereof for access to the interior of said body member for useas a receptacle.
 2. A smoker''s pipe as defined in claim 1, includinglock means for releasably securing said half shell members in relativelyclosed disposition.
 3. A smoker''s pipe as defined in claim 2, includingsupport means affixed to the underside of said body member for standingsaid body member on a flat surface.